Replacing nuts with other foods can boost memory later in life

Around 19% of adults aged 50 years and over live with cognitive impairment ranging from mild deficits to Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies show that lifestyle factors such as diet may protect brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Diets such as the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet have been linked to slower rates of cognitive decline and reduced dementia risk.

Nuts are common to both of these diets. Nuts contain nutrients, including unsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and polyphenols, which may all benefit cognition.

Further study of how nuts impact cognition and brain health could inform dietary and public health recommendations.

Recently, researchers investigated the effects of daily nut consumption on cognition and brain health. They found that daily nut consumption benefitted blood flow in the brain and verbal memory in older adults.

The study was published in Clinical Nutrition and was funded by the International Nuts and Dried Fruit Council (INC).

Source: Medical News Today

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